Foam in the Sea.
Well may you weep like a woman for what you could not defend like a man"
Queen Ayxa to Sultan Boadbil upon the flight from Granada.
Certain places, and certain names, hold a fascination for me. When I hear them being spoken of, or when I read of them, a tingle courses down my spine. These names, and the places some of them signify, are beautiful to me, and yet, overlying the wonder, there seems to be a veil of sadness.
Names like Umar Al Khattab, Hamzah 'Asadullah, 'Aishah, Asma', 'Ali, Bilal. Their faith, and their courage.
Names like those of the scholars Ibn Rushd and Ibn Sinna- who lighted path through a dark world with their knowledge.
Names like Andalusia and the Alhambra, beautiful in themselves.
Names like Salehuddin, or Sulaiman the Magnificent and the power they hold.
Perhaps I mourn their loss.
I come from a people who have fallen from grace. When once we were held with awe and respect, we are now regarded with disgust and hatred by a few, and pity by the rest. Where once there were warriors battling with pen and sword in defence of our faith for the promise of eternal glory, there are now cowards ready to sell their souls, and others'-for a transient pittance. Where once there were esteemed scholars who enlightened the world with their knowledge, there are now ignorami threatening to darken our times with their misbegotten convictions.
It's not that difficult to see the cause of the downfall really- as I went from Istanbul to Mecca last week, the answer presented itself to me. The stark constrast between the large splendour of the Ottoman's palaces and the humble tomb (and what used to be the home) of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) seemed to highlight the truth of the following hadith:-
Thawban , one of the Prophet’s servants, stated that the Prophet said:
“Soon the nations will call one another against you, just as people call one another to eat from a platter of food.”
A man asked: “Will this be because we will be few in number, O Messenger of Allaah?”
He replied: “No, you will be large in number, but you will be ghuthaa’a like the froth scum on the surface of a body of water, and Allaah will remove from the hearts of your enemies their fear of you and shall place in your hearts wahn.”
Those present asked: “What is wahn O Messenger of Allaah?”
He replied: “The love of this worldly life and hatred of death.”
[Saheeh hadeeth due to a multitude of routes of narration in the Sunan of Aboo Daawood Book 37, Number 4284
If one could have a favourite Caliph, mine would be 'Umar al Farouq, the Separator between Truth and Falsehood, the 'Umar chosen by Allah to receive the light of Islam- the one to convince the Prophet (pbuh) to come out of hiding and to face an angry people, the one to proclaim death to all who challenged his faith, the one called the Tiger of Allah.
As I said a greeting to 'Umar while standing in front of his tomb in the Prophet's Mosque in Madina, I wondered what the Tiger would have thought about the mice we have become.
My soul has been refreshed, but my heart is still heavy.
nads went at 21:38